Siblings remember WW2 veteran dad and pets by fundraising

There is no lie-in most weekends for Watford schoolchildren Alison and Eddie Gelfs, who may have had the oldest dad in the UK. At 5am on weekends and bank holidays they are in the car with their mum Lynda and off to car boot sales to fundraise as a way of thanking people who helped them through their late father’s final illnesses.

Tony Gelfs, a Second World War veteran, died after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease in 2014 aged 91. The elderly gentleman was already in his 80s when Alison, now aged 13, and Eddie, 12,

Kia cares for mum, other young carers and rescue pets

A Welwyn Garden City girl who helps to look after her bedridden mother and at the same time is the voice of young carers on her school council is in a competition that hails the ‘giving to others’ of Hertfordshire’s younger generation.

Fifteen-year-old Kia Penstone Smith spends her time at home in Primrose Close caring for her mother, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, and takes on extra tasks including cooking and acting as ‘mum’ of the household.

Euan leads at school and cadets – and helps bring on others

A Watford teenager who leads at his Rickmansworth school and at air cadets is in a competition that hails the ‘giving to others’ of Hertfordshire’s younger generation.

Fifteen-year-old Euan Petrie also, on his own initiative, raised £100 for a charity that feeds desperately hungry schoolchildren in developing countries. He also used to help out at a martial arts club.

Now he has been nominated for the Affinity Water Young People of the Year awards or ‘YOPEYs’ – Oscars for young

Ex-Hitchin Girl advising students and poor in London's EastEnd

A former Hitchin Girls’ School pupil who is helping others in different ways while studying for a law degree is in a competition that hails the ‘giving to others’ of Hertfordshire’s younger generation.

Nineteen-year-old Chloe Corcoran not only has a paid role advising other students at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) but also volunteers with a charity and a society.

Now Chloe has been nominated for the Mitsubishi Electric Young People of the Year awards or ‘YOPEYs’ –

Jodie wants to be a voice for mental health

For YOPEY's positive story about Jodie in Herts & Essex Observer – click on See More left

Jodie Goodacre says the suicide of a friend jolted her from a downward spiral which had seen her attempt to take her own life, and it inspired her to become a voice for young people affected by the stigma of mental ill-health.

Now her tireless campaigning on mental health, including taking her message into Hertfordshire schools, organising events and as a media commentator, is inspiring others to be open about their own challenges.

Young couple step up as traffic lights get stuck

It takes a special kind of public spirit to stand for four hours in the road on a freezing cold night directing impatient motorists through a three sets of traffic lights stuck on red!

Young couple Nethan Shelton and Danielle Garman, both 17, could have walked on by but they stepped up to the plate and un-jammed rush-hour roads in Welwyn, gaining the respect of drivers and local residents. But their sense of service did not surprise Peter Ball, who runs the Herts Fire Cadets unit in Stevenage where Nethan is a valued member.

Adam finds a way to use his disfigurement for all

For positive stories about this YOPEY entry in the media – click on See More left

A Hemel Hempstead teenager who uses a cheeky wit and his own ‘find-a-way’ attitude to encourage understanding and overcome ignorance of a disfiguring health condition is now, as a member of the youth committee of Goldenhar UK, helping shape the vital support group’s future.

Adam Waters, aged 16, is in a competition that hails the ‘giving to others’ of Hertfordshire’s younger